According to Human Rights Watch (HRW), the Taliban’s restrictions on women and girls are at an unprecedented level, calling for greater international pressure to address these violations of women’s rights. As International Women’s Day approaches, HRW highlights the intensified efforts by the Taliban to repress women, including orders to cover windows to obscure their presence in public. Heather Barr, HRW’s associate director of women’s rights, states, “Afghanistan not only continues to face the world’s worst women’s rights crisis, but the situation has worsened due to the Taliban’s relentless attacks on the rights of women and girls.”
In response to growing restrictions, Afghan women’s rights activists have initiated a global campaign to declare gender apartheid a crime against humanity, garnering support from various nations. HRW insists that governments hold the Taliban accountable for breaches of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). “Although progress is slow, the world is starting to respond,” HRW notes, citing the International Criminal Court’s request for arrest warrants against two Taliban leaders for gender persecution related to crimes against humanity.
Frustration among Afghan women is palpable as they decry global inaction. Roya Salimi, part of the Purple Saturdays movement, laments, “As Afghan women face the most severe oppression in our history, the world continues to watch in silence.” Many women, denied education and job opportunities, call for urgent intervention. A protester in Kabul remarked, “We have been erased from society, yet the world remains silent. We ask all women globally to stand with us on this day.”
HRW previously highlighted that the Taliban’s policies not only strip women of their rights but also exacerbate Afghanistan’s humanitarian crisis by limiting women’s roles in the economy. The stringent suppression of media, ethnic and religious groups, as well as civil society, worsens the country’s already dire situation. With the Taliban’s unyielding control, Afghan women implore for stronger international measures to combat their everyday repression.
Human Rights Watch indicates the Taliban’s restrictions on women are at an unprecedented level, necessitating urgent international action. Ahead of International Women’s Day, women’s rights activists advocate for gender apartheid to be recognised as a crime against humanity, pushed by growing global support. The Taliban’s actions have not only restricted rights but also worsened Afghanistan’s humanitarian crisis, prompting Afghan women to call for stronger global solidarity against everyday repression.
The situation for Afghan women continues to deteriorate under the Taliban’s severe restrictions, as outlined by Human Rights Watch. Activists are rallying for global recognition of gender apartheid, while the international community is urged to hold the Taliban accountable for their violation of women’s rights. As voices of protest resonate across Afghanistan, the urgent need for international solidarity and action to restore rights and dignity becomes increasingly pressing.
Original Source: amu.tv
